In a land where water is scarce, public swimming pools are a precious resource. They’re not only a great way to cool down in summer but are also an essential health and fitness facility for all Australians. In fact, nine out of 10 Aussies live within a 20-minute drive of such a pool. Nevertheless, access isn’t evenly distributed. For example, councils like Parramatta have more than 134,000 residents per aquatic centre, while outer suburbs such as Mosman have just over 7,000 residents for every swimming facility.
Despite these challenges, the reopening of the iconic Dawn Fraser Baths in Balmain has shown that Australians still place a high value on outdoor pools. However, the reopening of this pool has also highlighted how a lack of funds is impacting on Australia’s swimming facilities. In an age of climate change, where the weather is getting hotter and summers are longer, there’s a risk that outdoor pools will disappear altogether.
But the reopening of this pool has not been without controversy. It has been beset by council infighting, claims of pork-barrelling and a lack of transparency. It has been the target of heritage concerns and criticism from community groups and health organisations. And it has dragged on, with the project’s original $100m budget blowing out and its opening delayed to 2025 at the earliest.
Ocean pools are scattered across Australia and provide a unique experience for swimmers. Many are carved into the coastline and filled with sea water that floods over the sides. They’re popular spots for swim teams, but they’re also a place to relax and reflect. Many of these pools are owned and operated by local clubs, but a few are maintained by the state government. In New South Wales, there are more than 100 of these pools, including the famous Bondi Icebergs pool.
In the context of computing, an address pool is a set of IP or MAC addresses that are shared by one or more applications and/or allocated to users via a protocol such as Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). It is similar to a memory cache in that both allow for quicker access to data.
The popularity of swimming pools is evident with a claimed increase in visitation to February’s Sydney Pool & Spa Expo of 24 per cent, as well as a 23 per cent rise at the Melbourne event in January. Both events have a high-level focus on consumer education with more than 90 exhibitors delivering 12 free seminars and distributing their magazine to thousands of consumers. They have also facilitated four charity auctions that have raised thousands of dollars for the Starlight Children’s Foundation.